25^th Anniversary Dorothy MacLean Fellows Conference Nov. 15-16

November 12, 2013

The MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics is celebrating its 25th Annual Dorothy J. MacLean Fellows Conference on Nov. 15 and 16, 2013, marking a milestone for the program that pioneered the formal study of clinical medical ethics in the early 1980s.

With more than 330 fellows having studied at the MacLean Center, the two-day conference is a homecoming for many. Of the more than 50 presenters from around the world, all but three are MacLean Center graduates.

The free two-day conference, to be held at the University of Chicago Law School at 1111 E. 60th St., starts at 7:45 a.m. Friday, with a welcome by Mark Siegler, MD, founder and director of the MacLean Center.

"I'm thrilled that so many of our former fellowship trainees have done so well in their careers," said Siegler, the Lindy Bergman Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Surgery. "And the range of people coming back to present papers gives me enormous delight and confidence in the future of the field."

Among keynote speakers this year:

• Peter Singer, MD, MPH, CEO of Grand Challenges Canada and Director at the Sandra Rotman Centre at University Health Network, Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto. Singer was awarded the $50,000 MacLean Center Prize in Clinical Ethics last year for his work in not only expanding the study of ethics but also his tireless work on global health initiatives. His address: "Social Entrepreneurship and Global Health."
• Joel Howell, MD, PhD, University of Michigan: "The Invention of Primary Care."
• Mark Siegler, MD, University of Chicago: "The MacLean Center and the Birth of Clinical Medical Ethics."
• Eric Kodish, MD, and Andreas Tzakis, MD, Cleveland Clinic: "Ethical Issues in Uterine Transplantation."
• John Lantos, MD, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine University of Missouri: "What We Talk about When We Talk About Ethics.

There are eight sessions over the two days:

Friday, Nov. 15
Panel 1: Global Health
Panel 2: Contributions of Clinical Ethics to Patient Care
Panel 3: Ethical Issues at the End of Life
Panel 4: Ethical Issues in Organ Transplantation

Saturday, Nov. 16
Panel 5: What is Clinical Medical Ethics?
Panel 6: Ethical Issues in Research
Panel 7: Emerging Topics in Clinical Ethics
Panel 8: Surgical Ethics.

To learn more, view the full conference schedule. While attendance is free of charge, the MacLean Center encourages attendees to register in advance at macleanconference2013.eventbrite.com. You also may register at the event.

Since its founding in 1984, the MacLean Center has grown into the largest medical clinical ethics program in the world. Of the 330 fellows who have trained at MacLean, 253 are physicians, and 24 of them are currently directing or have directed clinical medical ethics programs in the United States, Canada and Europe. More than 21 fellows have held endowed chairs, and graduates from the program are on faculties at more than 40 U.S. universities.

Earlier this year, the MacLean Center was awarded the Cornerstone Award from the America Society for Bioethics and Humanities in recognition of the "outstanding contributions from an institution that has helped shape the direction of the field of bioethics." The MacLean Center was the first university ethics program to receive the award.